Chapter 144: The Night of Welcoming Moon Peak

The admonitions died in Li Meng’s throat.

Emboldened by the atmosphere, or perhaps by his own audacity, he reached out and captured Senior Sister Leng’s hand. It was pale and smooth, like flawless jade carved by a master artisan.

Li Meng smiled, his gaze wandering over the breathtakingly cold beauty before him. Senior Sister Leng’s hand is truly smooth. He couldn’t resist a gentle, testing stroke of his thumb against her skin.

Leng Yixue lowered her head, her gaze landing on Junior Brother Li’s mischievous hand. Then, she raised her eyes to meet his. Her expression remained unchanged—a mask of indifferent frost.

But beneath that frost, Li Meng felt an invisible pressure, like the weight of a glacier pressing down on him.

He cleared his throat and reluctantly released her hand, though his eyes lingered on her delicate fingers with theatrical regret.

Leng Yixue noted every small movement. A flicker of disappointment flashed in her eyes, quickly hidden. I hadn’t expected Junior Brother Li to be no different from other men, she thought. Seeing a beautiful woman, his mind immediately wanders to petty desires.

“Senior Sister… then… then I’m leaving!”

Li Meng caught the shift in her expression. He saw the disappointment, and understood it perfectly.

Disappointment was unavoidable. She cultivated the Path of Heartlessness. Simply being “good” to her was like pouring water into a bottomless well; it would never be enough to fill her heart or raise her affection to the maximum.

The day Senior Leng woke up would be the day their paths diverged. From then on, they might meet once a decade, polite strangers separated by realms and status.

To break through her ice, he had to show her his “bad” side. Only a man who was both a saint and a rogue could stir ripples in the stagnant water of her heart. He had to be the “villain” she couldn’t forget, the chaos she couldn’t predict.

Li Meng stood up and walked toward the door, his steps deliberate.

“Junior Brother.”

Her voice stopped him just as his hand touched the latch. It was clear and cold, like a mountain spring.

“When you’re out and about… be careful in everything.”

A faint, victorious smile appeared at the corner of Li Meng’s mouth, hidden from her view.

With a crisp click, he opened the door and stepped out into the night.

Inside the room, Leng Yixue listened to his footsteps fading away. A rare trace of melancholy touched her eyes.

Junior Brother Li possessed the Five Spirit Roots—a waste physique. He could not practice Dual Cultivation techniques; he had no future on that path. This meant his interest in her was purely… personal.

If he had used her Master’s life to threaten her into submission, could she have refused?

The answer was clear: She would not have agreed. She cultivated the Heartless Dao. No one could threaten her. Anyone who obstructed her thoughts or muddied her clarity was a calamity to be severed.

But Li Meng wasn’t that kind of person. He was lustful, yes, shamelessly so. But he wouldn’t use despicable means to break someone’s Dao Heart.

Based on that alone, he qualified as a “gentleman.”

A fair lady is a gentleman’s pursuit, she mused, recalling an ancient verse. If he pursues me properly… perhaps it is not unacceptable.

Back in his courtyard, Li Meng collapsed onto his reclining chair, staring up at the stars.

“Does the Bodhi Tree really exist?”

He had read many ancient travelogues, filling his mind with strange and unusual lore. In this era, the “Bodhi Tree” was merely a legend, a remnant of a bygone age.

It was said that the original Bodhi Tree stood on Vulture Peak in the Western Continent. The Buddha sat beneath it for ten thousand years, attaining enlightenment in a single moment.

Since then, the tree had been shrouded in mystery. Some claimed a single glimpse could grant an Epiphany and daylight ascension. Others said it could turn a mortal into a Buddha on the spot.

All unverifiable rumors.

“I’ll ask the Sect Master tonight,” Li Meng muttered.

Something significant must have happened in the Western Desert for his Master to send such an urgent message. He would get the intelligence from Li Qiushui first, then depart.

“Master didn’t say ‘immediately’ immediately. Delaying a few days shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Even if it was urgent, he needed to prepare. The Western Desert was dangerous.

His First-Grade Golden Light Body Protection Talismans were excellent, capable of blocking a full-power strike from a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. But against a Great Perfection cultivator? They would falter.

If he could upgrade them to Second-Grade Divine Thunder talismans… their defensive power would be unshakeable by anyone below the Golden Core stage. They could withstand a Great Perfection assault for at least ten breaths—plenty of time to escape or counterattack.

But upgrading required materials. He needed Talisman Paper refined from Third-Level demon beast hides. And for Third-Grade talismans? Fourth-Level hides.

“Expensive,” he sighed. But necessary.

Joyous Union Sect, Inner Sect Territory Welcoming Moon Peak

The autumn wind whistled through the high peaks. Welcoming Moon Peak, vast and imposing, bathed in the silver light of the moon.

As the cave dwelling of Sect Master Li Qiushui, its scale was second only to the Ancestor’s abode.

At the summit, nestled within a sprawling, magical flower garden, stood a magnificent pavilion. The flowers emitted soft, bioluminescent lights in various colors, creating a dreamlike landscape.

In a room on the upper floor.

Li Qiushui sat before her dressing table, wearing only a thin, translucent inner dress.

The fabric clung to her skin, revealing the faint, snow-white glow of her body beneath. It outlined the lush curves of her waist and the heavy, proud swell of her chest.

She combed her jet-black hair, which cascaded down to her hips, her gaze fixed absently on the bronze mirror.

The woman in the reflection was beautiful. Breathtakingly so. Although she was over four hundred years old, her appearance hadn’t aged a day past thirty—the prime of a woman’s allure.

She turned her head slightly, looking out the window.

He was here.

She couldn’t let him make a ruckus outside her peak.

High in the sky, a streak of sword light arrived from the distance, hovering just outside the protective array.

As soon as Li Meng stopped, the clouds guarding the peak churned and parted, opening a silent passage.

Li Meng grinned, stroking his beard with satisfaction. He urged his sword forward, flying smoothly through the gap.

“I didn’t expect the Sect Master Senior to have such refined taste,” he murmured, landing gently in the courtyard.

The garden was a riot of color and fragrance, clearly the domain of a female cultivator who loved beauty. But Li Meng didn’t stop to admire the flowers.

He walked straight to the main door of the pavilion.

Click.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The pavilion was silent. Utterly, heavy with anticipation.

His footsteps echoed on the stairs as he ascended.

On the upper floor, outside a specific room, he stopped. In the entire building, only this room held a living presence.

Knock, knock, knock.

The crisp sound shattered the silence.